


The First

by LibraryOfNeith



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Male Friendship, Mentors, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 14:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19478107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryOfNeith/pseuds/LibraryOfNeith
Summary: Nog has doubts about joining Starfleet. As the first ferengi, he's worried how people will react to him. Luckily for him, there's someone else on the station who knows what it is to be the first of your kind in Starfleet.





	The First

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first DS9 fanfic and I hope you like it. I normally do slash fiction so I thought I'd do something a little different this time. I own nothing, just writing this for fun. Enjoy!

Worf sighed and looked down at his prune juice. He always felt uncomfortable in parties, even when he had friends like Dax and O’Brian. It went back to being the only Klingon child on earth and sticking out like a sore thumb in all social situations. Overtime, he learned to deal with being the odd one out as even among other Klingons, he stood apart because of his human upbringing; accepting that he would usually be the only one like him in any given scenario and taking comfort in the love of his friends and respect of his colleagues. But he still didn’t like large gatherings, especially this one.

It was Nog’s farewell party before he went off to join Starfleet. The young ferengi was currently caught in the middle of a crowd of well-wishers, standing tall and proud in the cadet uniform his father had hand-made for him (even though he’d be issued one as soon as he arrived at the academy). Worf himself was standing apart from the crowd. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about a ferengi joining Starfleet. He’d encountered them many times while on the Enterprise and had always found them to be conniving, greedy opportunists who’d do anything for profit. But there was that one scientist that Doctor Crusher had met and everyone else seemed delighted for Nog, so he tried not to be too vocal about his doubts.

Nog caught his eye from across the room and grinned. Uncertain of how to react; Worf nodded then briskly went to find a seat. Ever since he’d gotten his admission from the academy, Nog had taken to following him around like a lost targ. It was getting rather tiresome. He understood why Nog would start following Starfleet officers around if he was going to be one, but why did it have to be him?! There were plenty of other officers around whom he knew much better, and were much more approachable. And yet; wherever Worf went, Nog was never far behind. Speaking of which…

“May I join you?”

Worf racked his brain to find a reason he couldn’t, but sadly couldn’t find one. So, he had no choice but to nod his assent and try to make small talk.

“Are you… erm… nervous about going to the academy?”   
“Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I bet you’re wondering why I’ve been following you these past few days.” _Oh._ It wasn’t just him, then. “I know you don’t know me well but I still want to talk to you.”   
“About what?”   
“You’re the only one who knows what it’s like.”   
“What’s like?”   
“Being the first of your kind in Starfleet.”

That caught Worf off guard. No one had ever asked him about that before.

“I know that humans used to be creatures divided by racism and prejudice, and they say they’ve evolved beyond that now; but my uncle says that they’re still a primitive race who don’t like outsiders. I asked my father but he said not to worry about it. I wanted to ask the others but they don’t know what it’s like, no one does, no one except you.”

Worf wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to say anything bad about Starfleet – they’d opened their doors and let him in and helped him to find a purpose in life. But neither did he want to send Nog in unprepared, as he couldn’t say, in all honesty, that everyone he’d encountered had been completely accepting of him.

His mind went back to Deanna. She’d know what to do right now. She’d always been full of wise counsel; it was one of the things he missed most about her. There was something she once said though, something that could help now: _If you ever find yourself caught between loyalties, not wanting to say anything to someone that might hurt someone else – what I always try to do is tell the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. If in doubt; honesty is usually the best policy._

That was what Worf figured he had to do now: be honest with Nog. So, he took a deep breath, and began.

“Joining Starfleet was one of, if not the best decision of my life. It has provided me with some incredible life experiences and I’m sure it will do the same for you. But it is going to be hard, and not just in the way it is for others. When I joined the academy, the treaty with the Klingon Empire was still relatively new, so I was treated with quite a bit of suspicion from both my peers and my superiors. People were jumpy around me – they clearly expected me to burst into a violent rage. Once when I got into an argument with a classmate he said _you going to impale me on your bat’leth?_ I even once heard the word: _barbarian._

“I also made it hard on myself. I felt that every single decision and action I made reflected on Klingons as a whole so every time I made a mistake I panicked and kept punishing myself.

“I don’t know if my experiences will be the same as yours. After all: it’s been a while since my academy days and the suspicion around Klingons at the time is not the same suspicion that revolves around ferengis. But if you do experience anything like what I just described; I’ll leave you with this advice: firstly – do not allow them to get to you. They’re speaking from ignorance. You know for yourself what ferengis are really like better than they do, so their opinions are not worth dwelling on. Secondly – do not be afraid to ask for help. Just because you are the only ferengi, does not mean you are alone. Not everyone will behave as I have just described and there are councillors whose job it is to make sure that everyone is happy and to give advice on these types of situations. If they are not helpful then keep trying with your teachers and your classmates. Thirdly – do not punish yourself for your mistakes. You may feel as if you are representing your entire species but that does not mean that by getting something wrong, you are condemning all ferengis. Dwelling over your misdeeds will achieve nothing; you must learn from them, and apply that knowledge to your next task. Lastly – get the most out of your time out of the academy. Work hard, make friends, and forge new experiences. Not all of your time there will be positive, but it can still be a good… no, a great experience. Focus on you and your future within Starfleet, and add to your character through what they teach you, and what you learn for yourself. Does that help you?”

Nog, who had been sitting there with his mouth agape just nodded.

“Yes, thank you. That’s… everything I wanted to know.”   
“Good. I did not have someone to ask this of when I joined Starfleet, so it I am glad to share my experiences with you.” When Worf rose, Nog rose with him. He held out his hand.   
“Good luck at the academy.” Nog took it.   
“Thank you… sir.”

Dax sauntered up to him from the bar, grinning.

“What were you and Nog talking about, so intently?” She added a bit of lavish to the word _intently_.   
“Nothing. Just a bit of advice.”   
“I thought you weren’t too keen on a ferengi joining Starfleet.”   
“I’ve given it some thought and… perhaps the first ferengi in Starfleet won’t be so bad.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you ever so much for reading. I hope you had as much fun as I did writing. If you liked this one, keep an eye out for more fics!


End file.
